This invention relates to poured concrete walls, and particularly to apparatus and a method for forming insulated poured concrete walls.
The forming of foundation/basement walls of poured concrete is conventional. To form a poured wall, forms are secured together astraddle a space which is later filled with uncured concrete. The concrete is then left to solidify and cure, the forms are removed, and the notched protruding ends of the metal ties which were used to secure the forms together are knocked off as with a hammer. If these ends of the ties are not removed, thermal conductivity thereof causes excess heat transfer with resultant increased energy usage. Even with the tie ends removed, the concrete walls conduct sufficient heat to cause considerable extra energy use.
Therefore, thermal insulation is sometimes applied to the cured concrete walls as by spraying it on, or a layer of insulation may be glued to the inside and/or outside wall surfaces. These insulation application processes, however, involve considerable added time and labor, so that normally the walls remain uninsulated. Yet, application of thermal insulation is particularly advantageous for decreasing energy costs. Indeed, in some jurisdictions the R value must meet certain minimum requirements.